Kwara Smart City Project: 23 Communities Reject Acquisition Of Farmlands
No fewer than 23 communities in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State have rejected plan by the state government to acquire their lands for the Smart City project.
The communities, under the aegis of Akanbi Wards 1 and 2, had claimed that they received a letter dated March 1st this year notifying them of the state government's intention to revoke/acquire the land for public use.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Fufu, headquarters of the Ilorin South Local Government Council, the Chairman of Akanbi Ward 1 and 2, Azeez Omolola, said: “The people of the 23 villages at home and abroad are expressing and registering our bitter feeling, sadness and deep sorrow over plan by the state government to acquire/revoke our land being used for farming for the establishment of Ilorin Smart City project when hunger is ravaging the people.”
Mr Omolola lamented that the planned revocation/acquisition of their land would mean sacking the people from their farmlands, thereby throwing them into acute and perpetual hunger.
He appealed to the state government for the immediate suspension of all plans to forcefully revoke/acquire their land for private use under the guise of public interest, urging the constitution of a panel of inquiry to look into the circumstances which had led to that decision that completely left them out on a matter that borders on their lives and livelihoods.
Besides, the spokesperson for the Ward stressed the need for the panel of inquiry to also examine all alternative ways to avoid destruction and grabbing of their communities' ancestral land, forests and farmlands.
He further counselled the state government to “halt and reverse the implementation of the policy and follow that by inviting all stakeholders in the communities for a meeting; constituting a special committee to look into the matter raised by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in the notification letter as regards the issue of public interest.
“Recognise and allow our rights as indigenous people as enacted in national and international laws to be respected and preserved.”
Omolola urged the state government to “carry out a thorough and transparent review of the adverse ecological, socio-cultural, economic, financial and reputational impacts of the proposed Smart City before it precipitates a man-made disaster for our communities and the state at large.”
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
April 11 New Model Police Station Isapa MAI Akande Fatimat Saliu Kehinde Boyede Al-Ilory Ibrahim Gambari Durosinlohun Kawu Oko Erin Ndakene Shade Omoniyi Nigerian Medical Association Offa Oye Tinuoye Bolakale Ayo Moses Adekanye Lanre Jimoh Ajidagba Aisha Gobir Pius Abioje Baruten Abdulkadri Ahmad Alaiye Kwara NIPR Eghe Igbinehin Mike Omotosho Sobi Ethical College Abikan Adamu B. Yaqubu Abdulganiyu Salahudeen Abdulsalam Firdaous Amosa Ilorin East/South Federal Constituency Kwara Consultative Forum Olaitan Adefila Ilesha-Baruba-Gwanara Kale Belgore Nigeria Computer Society Olayinka Are Hajj Ayodele Kuburat Olaosebikan Baaziki Sulaiman Aliyu Umar Olupako Yashikira Omotoso Idiagbon Rasaq Jimoh Babatunde Idiagbon Olaiya Lawal Gbenga Awoyale Dan-Kazeem Abdulwahab Oba Temitope Ogunbanke Salami Adekunle Titus Suberu-Ajibola AGILE Programme KWSIEC Riskat Opakunle Ajike People Support Centre Muslim Stakeholders Of Kwara State Paul Olawoore Alaro Wahab Abayawo Kwabes Kwara State Polytechnic Oke-Ogun Femtech Abdulrazaq Magaji Taofik Abiodun Ahmed Joseph Daudu Kwara Basketball Association Iponrin Hamidat Sulyman-Yusuf Kwha.gov.ng Yahaya Abdulkareem Babaita Olomu Of Omu-Aran

